UAS Challenge

Teams and judges give their views

QinetiQ is very proud to sponsor this important event as it develops the business and technical skills in the participants that we would like to see in new entrants to our company. The airfield facilities we have provided for the competition with Snowdonia Aerospace Centre are purpose-built for this type of flying activity and we are keen to see as many people as possible benefit from its use.

Phil Briggs
UAS Lead Engineer at sponsor QinetiQ

The enthusiasm, innovation, teamwork and focus on safe operation by all participants was truly outstanding.

John Whalley
CEO of the Aerospace Wales Forum

The opportunity to take part in product development from an initial concept right through to an operational prototype was very useful. This helped develop my understanding of the complex processes, evaluation and testing that has to take place in order to develop a prototype, which is something you usually don't see from start to finish.

James Lyall
Loughborough UAS 2016 - Winning Team Member

I was impressed by the dedication shown by the students - the work involved in doing this as a final year project is high, and even those who couldn’t get it to work on the day should be proud of themselves for what they did achieve and what they learnt.

Kerry Fletcher
Project Manager - UAS Steering Group

It was a great opportunity for a real-life challenge, with design choices, risks and mission planning on display for this competitive event. I used the skills gained in this group project to design and build an industrial UAV for my MSc Individual Project.

University of Southampton team member

Great experience. Great learning. Great event!

Loughborough University team member

In scrutineering, we were able to inspect closely the platforms’ structural and systems integrity and assess the airworthiness of the aircraft as a whole. Across the board, the teams had grasped the technical attributes required and the implications air safety; the Challenge proved an invaluable means of converting theoretical designs into practical, safe and capable aircraft.

Rod Williams
Chief Scrutineer, UAS Challenge

The challenge was very holistic. There was something there for everyone. As a professor and academic, I learnt a lot and built many friends

The UAS Challenge is one of the few initiatives where everyone wins. The students gain access to some of the industry’s leading thinkers and players who are judging, organising, and sponsoring the event; and the judges, organisers, and sponsors get first-sight of the new thinking that's emerging – and the next generation of innovators who are creating it.

The specifications set for the aircraft, which created a genuine challenge with no easy answer. This helped me develop a sufficient understanding of multicopter aircraft to very soon set a new Guinness World Record for multicopter flight endurance.